The Heat: Author Tom Miller discusses Chinese investment Pt 2

The Heat: Author Tom Miller discusses Chinese investment Pt 1

REPORT: Forest- and Climate -Smart Cocoa in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana: Aligning Stakeholders to Support Smallholders in Deforestation-Free Cocoa

Global cocoa production faces mounting environmental and economic challenges. Despite long-term global demand, cocoa producers are confronting the triple challenge of increasing productivity on limited land, reducing pressure on forests and ecosystems, and increasing their resilience to climate change. This new report, launched collaboratively by the World Bank, Climate Focus and the World Cocoa Foundation, aims to inform governments, companies, and civil society partners on ways to enhance sustainability and encourage smallholders to make deforestation-free, climate-smart choices. The focus is on actions that lead to scaling up renovation and rehabilitation (‘R&R’) efforts in Côte d`Ivoire and Ghana so farmers can grow more cocoa on less land.

Direct downloads:

REPORT: Forest- and Climate -Smart Cocoa in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana: Aligning Stakeholders to Support Smallholders in Deforestation-Free Cocoa

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Forest- and Climate -Smart Cocoa in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana: Aligning Stakeholders to Support Smallholders in Deforestation-Free Cocoa

 

Breen Byrnes
Communications Officer
Forests and Landscapes Climate Finance
Climate Change Group
Phone: +1 (202) 473-7324
Mobile: +1 (202) 247-5325
1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA

Food-matters,

Explaining Extreme Events of 2016 from a Climate Perspective (December 2017)

Understanding Climate Change
Published on Dec 17, 2017

Explaining Extreme Events of 2016 from a Climate Perspective (December 2017)

Climate & Extreme Weather News #87 (December 16th-19th 2017)

Understanding Climate Change
Published on Dec 20, 2017

00:12 The Philippines: Tropical Storm Urduja 04:35 Chile: Villa Santa Lucia mudslide 09:46 The USA: Thomas Fire 12:52 Malawi: Lilongwe flash flood 13:30 The UAE & Oman: Storms & flash floods 18:39 Malaysia: Keningau flash flood 20:10 Australia: SA heatwave & Melbourne thunderstorms 23:23 Brazil: Esteio storm 25:13 November temp update & December temp anomalies

The Lessons of the Loess Plateau

EarthsHopeChannel
Published on Feb 6, 2009

EarthsHope.org The Lessons of the Loess Plateau shows how an ancient civilization failed because they degraded their ecosystem functions. This parallels many if not all of the original cradles of civilization. But recently the Chinese People are showing that it is possible to rehabilitate large-scale damaged ecosystems.

Food-Matters,

Susan Rice: When America No Longer Is a Global Force for Good – The New York Times

By Susan E. Rice       Dec. 20, 2017

President Trump’s National Security Strategy marks a dramatic departure from the plans of his Republican and Democratic predecessors, painting a dark, almost dystopian portrait of an “extraordinarily dangerous” world characterized by hostile states and lurking threats. There is scant mention of America’s unrivaled political, military, technological and economic strength, or the opportunities to expand prosperity, freedom and security through principled leadership — the foundation of American foreign policy since World War II.

In Mr. Trump’s estimation, we live in a world where America wins only at others’ expense. There is no common good, no international community, no universal values, only American values. America is no longer “a global force for good,” as in President Obama’s last strategy, or a “shining city on a hill,” as in President Reagan’s vision. The new strategy enshrines a zero-sum mentality: “Protecting American interests requires that we compete continuously within and across these contests, which are being played out in regions around the world.” This is the hallmark of Mr. Trump’s nationalistic, black-and-white “America First” strategy.

But the world is actually gray, and Mr. Trump’s strategy struggles to draw nuanced distinctions. Throughout, China and Russia are conflated and equated as parallel adversaries. In fact, China is a competitor, not an avowed opponent, and has not illegally occupied its neighbors. Russia, as the strategy allows, aggressively opposes NATO, the European Union, Western values and American global leadership. It brazenly seized Georgian and Ukrainian territory and killed thousands of innocents to save a dictator in Syria. Russia is our adversary, yet Mr. Trump’s strategy stubbornly refuses to acknowledge its most hostile act: directly interfering in the 2016 presidential election to advantage Mr. Trump himself.

…(read more).

Yemen cholera cases reach one million – ICRC – BBC News

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-42440805

The number of suspected cholera cases in Yemen has reached one million, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says.

At least 2,226 people are believed to have died of the disease since April, although the number of new cases has declined for 14 consecutive weeks.

The ICRC said the outbreak was “amplifying the suffering of a country caught up in a brutal war”.

More than 80% of Yemenis lack food, fuel, water and access to healthcare.

The war between forces loyal to President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, who is backed by a Saudi-led coalition, and the rebel Houthi movement has killed more than 8,670 people since March 2015.

• Rebel infighting leaves Sanaa more divided than ever
• Yemen: Finding near-famine – and lots of food
• Yemen’s civilians pay price of blockade

Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholera. In severe cases, the disease can kill within hours if left untreated.

…(read more).

“Only Our Youth Can Save the Planet” – Kumi Naidoo | Inter Press Service

By Pascal Laureyn

SUVA, Fiji, Dec 20 2017 (IPS) – “Today’s youth should think of new solutions for old problems like climate change and social injustice.”

That’s the strong message of the South African activist Kumi Naidoo. The former executive director of Greenpeace says young people need to be more innovative and visionary, “because the solutions of my generation have failed.”

After battling apartheid in South Africa, Kumi Naidoo led numerous global campaigns to protect
human rights.

Among other organizations, he headed CIVICUS, an alliance for citizen participation. It was at the International Civil Society Week (ICSW), organized by CIVICUS in Fiji in December, that Naidoo spoke out on youth and innovation.

“My advise for young people is: don’t put any faith in the current leaders. They are the biggest bunch of losers you are going to find. Because they are unwilling to accept that they have got us into this mess,” says Naidoo.

“Basically, we are using old solutions that have never worked in the past anyway,” Naidoo contin-ues.

Albert Einstein said: ‘the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting to get different results.’ If humanity continues to do what we always did, we will get what always got: inequality, unsustainability and environmental destruction.”

How can young people steer the planet away from insanity?

“The most valuable role that they can play, is bringing fresh lenses to old problems. And not to be scared to be called romantic, unrealistic or idealistic. The so called realistic solutions to today’s
problems are ineffective.”

…(read more).